CVE-2026-69497: CWE-401: Missing Release of Memory after Effective Lifetime in Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607
Description
CVE-2026-69497 is a vulnerability in Microsoft Windows 10 Version 1607 and related versions where the DHCP Server component fails to release memory after its effective lifetime. This memory leak can be exploited by an authorized attacker to cause a denial of service (DoS) over the network. The issue affects multiple Windows versions and has a medium severity rating with a CVSS score of 6.5. An official fix is available from Microsoft.
CVSS v3.1
Score 6.5medium
Affected software
Microsoft
Windows 10 Version 1607
Microsoft
Windows 10 Version 1809
Microsoft
Windows Server 2012
Microsoft
Windows Server 2012 (Server Core installation)
Microsoft
Windows Server 2012 R2
Microsoft
Windows Server 2012 R2 (Server Core installation)
Microsoft
Windows Server 2016
Microsoft
Windows Server 2016 (Server Core installation)
Microsoft
Windows Server 2019
Microsoft
Windows Server 2019 (Server Core installation)
Microsoft
Windows Server 2022
Microsoft
Windows Server 2025
Microsoft
Windows Server 2025 (Server Core installation)
Weaknesses
AI-Powered Analysis
Machine-generated threat intelligence
Technical Analysis
This vulnerability (CWE-401) involves missing release of memory after its effective lifetime in the Windows DHCP Server component. An authorized attacker can exploit this flaw to cause a denial of service by exhausting system memory resources. The affected versions include Windows 10 Version 1607 and other specified builds prior to their respective fixed versions. Microsoft has published an official fix to address this issue.
Potential Impact
The impact of this vulnerability is a denial of service condition caused by memory exhaustion in the DHCP Server. There is no confidentiality or integrity impact reported. The attacker must have authorized access to the network to exploit this issue. No known exploits are currently in the wild.
Mitigation Recommendations
An official fix is available from Microsoft. Users and administrators should apply the security updates provided by Microsoft for the affected Windows versions as detailed in the Microsoft advisory at https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-69497. No additional mitigation actions are specified by the vendor.
Technical Details
- Data Version
- 5.2
- Assigner Short Name
- microsoft
- Date Reserved
- 2026-08-03T21:07:24.909Z
- Cvss Version
- 3.1
- State
- PUBLISHED
- Remediation Level
- official-fix
- Vendor Advisory Urls
- [{"url":"https://msrc.microsoft.com/update-guide/vulnerability/CVE-2026-69497","vendor":"Microsoft"}]
Threat ID: 6aa04503acd9273b49fa8149
Added to database: 09/08/2026, 17:25:23 UTC
Last enriched: 10/16/2026, 21:17:14 UTC
Last updated: 10/23/2026, 15:10:14 UTC
Views: 31
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